midnight mass

rock me to sleep

You couldn't sleep.

The last few days had been something of a whirlwind, moving to the washed up Island of Crockett, meeting every single damn resident that came up to your door. Packing and unpacking, climbing up and down the stairs, you were exhausted, but you couldn't sleep.

It felt like there was electricity buzzing under your skin under the comfort of your duvet, felt like something was pushing at your flight response over and over till you were a bundle of nerves that still could not sleep. It felt like a warning.

A warning you ignored as you sighed deep and kicked your feet out from under the covers to pad downstairs to heat up a cup of coffee and do some work if that's how it was going to be tonight. The coffee brightened your senses, not enough to be of actual use though, of course, and when you opened your laptop to try to write, the page looked like gibberish. You slammed the laptop shut.

Standing up with force, you stomped your way over to slip on your shoes and your coat and you hightailed it out your front door. A walk on the beach would clear your head, right?

It was pretty relaxing out here. The crash of the waves repeatedly met your ears and the smell of the salt water invaded your nostrils. Your footsteps crunched with every step and for the first time since you've been to Crockett, you felt at peace for a while.

After walking the beach for nearly an hour, you paused where you were standing to close your eyes and just let your senses be overtaken by the ocean. Crockett may not be ideal, but you had always loved the ocean.

Just as your eyes slipped closed though, a chill climbed all the way up your spine to snap your eyes open. There that feeling was again. Run. Something was tripping up your nerves so bad, there were alarm bells going off in your mind.

You moved from your froze position to slowly survey the area around you, stopping short when you saw the human shaped figure approaching you. You couldn't tell who it was so far away, just that they were tall and slim. You considered running away, trusting your instincts, but when you tried your feet were glued to the ground, limbs frozen.

When the light finally hit his face, a sharp gasp rocked through you. What was the town priest doing out so late at night? You supposed maybe it was for the same reason you were, but earlier, when an overly judgmental woman named Beth made you walk all the way to his home to meet him because "he's not feeling well lately, but you just must meet him" , he seemed to not be doing so hot. Now, he was standing tall, looking young and rejuvenated, nothing like the man you saw before.

You could hear the blood pounding in your ears as he got closer and closer, but all he did when he reached you was stand beside you and look out at the ocean. To you, the silence was deafening.

Finally, he sighed. Your hand twitched as he spoke, "Can't sleep?", he tilted his gaze towards yours for a minute and you saw a weird reflection in his eyes you must have imagined.

"Something like that." Your voice didn't sound like your own, all strung out in nervousness that got worse when he turned his full body towards yours and you saw his eyes still had that opalescent haze.

"Do you practice?", he asked, gesturing to the Bible he was carrying in his left hand.

You scoffed slightly. "No, I don't believe in that shit." Your tone was bitter.

He sighed. "I was hoping you weren't gonna say that," his gaze dropped quickly to your neck and then up again, "I thought we might bask in the divinity that is this moment together. God put us in this place at this time together for a reason, you know."

His words were empty. A light breeze blew past you and you swore you saw him inhale like he was taking in your scent.

"And what would be that reason?" You drawled apprehensively, almost taking a step back at the predatory look he just locked on you.

His eyes went back to your neck, but this time, they stayed there.

A few moments silence for you to question every life choice you ever made.

"Father Paul?"

At the sound of your voice, he pounced. The Bible in his hand clattered into the sand, and somehow you were on the ground now. Your hands were pinned down by the wrists to your stomach, his fingers tightening possessively around them, and his other hand came up to your jaw.

He caressed the skin for a minute before catching it in a vice grip and tugging your face to the side, exposing the skin of your neck.

You kicked and cursed as he stared down at it, seemingly oblivious to your fight.

All your curses ceased and turned into screams when he bent his head down and bit.

The pain was unbelievable. His teeth sunk in to leave a perfect mark and the blood poured out in maroon waves that he licked up with vengeance.

The hand on your jaw started caressing again and, as your screams turned to sobs, he started taking breaks in his feast to shush you like a little child. 

The blood loss weakened you and soon there was no fight left. You went limp into the sand and let him take and take, until all you could do was let tears run down your cheeks.

Finally, the priest seemed satiated. The grip on your wrists loosened and then let go completely, but you just laid there. Your muscles were weak and you were dizzy. The weight on top of you stayed.

Father Paul pulled your face up to look at his, and your tears doubled seeing the blood, your blood, he was wearing on his face.

With a quiet "oh dear", he tenderly wiped the tears from your face with his large hands. He stared down at you, fatigued and dizzy, with concern on his face and caressed your hair back.

He slowly moved off of you, seemingly afraid you were going to attack or something (how laughable) and looked down at you some more with sad eyes.

Tentatively, he wrapped his long arms around your frame and pulled you to sit up against his chest, encouraging you to curl in, he hugged you tight. With no energy left, you couldn't even try to fight it.

When you were situated between his legs and trapped in his arms, he whispered a gentle "sleep, darling" and who were you to not comply? Your eyes slipped shut to the sound of crashing waves and the feel of his lips upon the crown of your head.